Clarity
by nicoleherondale
Summary: Will is in love with her. She has been his best friend, ever since he had come into the new neighborhood five years ago. She is Tessa, the one with the intelligent gray eyes and the soft brown hair, the one who would understand him like nobody else was able to. The problem? She is his best friend and she has a boyfriend. / High school AU. Wessa. Collaboration with The Iron Sister.
1. one

**A/N: **

**_bold italics: clara_**

**normal bold: nicole**

**_So, hello guys, it's The Iron Sister here, and this time not only as a beta-reader, but as a co-writer of this story._**

_**Yep. Me and the fabulous Nicole decided to write a story. For this chapter, though, she did most of the work, so the credits go to her, though I wrote a bit of this chapter. The idea, again, is Nicole's, and I just helped with ideas for future chapters.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this story we came up with. I'll let Nicole do the talking now.**_

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><p><strong>well, clara said all that stuff! we're gonna be writing this new story together, and i'm soooo excited for that. and yep we're starting a new story, this time a AU high school fic.<strong>

**y'all know that's ma thang, if you've been there since the beginning. anyway, lol. without further ado, i bring you this chapter.**

**oh and this is inspired by taylor swift's song, you belong with me. x**

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><p><em>Five Years Earlier<em>

Twelve-year-old Tessa Gray pressed her hands against her window, her nose touching the glass. The new boy, or William Herondale, had his new bedroom right across from hers. So she could see what was inside anytime, unless the curtains were drawn shut.

Right now, they weren't. She could see a bit of blue wall here, a poster of a football player there, but her eyes finally came to land on the blue-eyed boy, sitting up on his bed.

He had a book in his hands. He was reading.

Tessa squinted, trying to make out the title of the book he was reading.

After numerous attempts, she gave up. But she left her curtains open.

-o-

She came back to the window on the same day, this time during night. William Herondale was sitting in front of his window, as his desk was situated in front of the glass.

This time, he was working on something. Tessa could see the end of his pen moving across something, most likely a piece of paper, in a hurried fashion.

His head was bent, so the waves of dark hair fell all over his forehead.

Curiosity got the best of her, so Tessa left the window and went to find a pen and a piece of paper. When she returned to the window, this time with a sign written in black marker, he was still in the same position.

She pressed the sign up onto the smudged glass and gave the window three short taps, hoping he would… _sense _it in some way.

He didn't look up.

By the time she got him to look up, she was flailing her arms around, trying desperately to get his attention.

First he caught sight of the sign, which said "hello". Promptly a look of confusion spread across his features, and when his blue eyes descended on hers, Tessa immediately questioned herself once more, wondering if this was actually a good idea.

Will turned away from the window and settled back down onto his desk. Seeing his reaction, an angry red blush quickly spread across Tessa's cheeks.

_So that wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't have done that. Now I've probably scared him away._

She was about to draw her curtains shut when she noticed Will Herondale returning to his window, a noticeable sign tucked across his arm.

She stopped and read it when he raised it up towards his window.

_Hello._

In that moment, everything clicked into place for young, nerdy, twelve-year-old Tessa Gray. In that moment, it began.

-o-

_Present Day_

Will and Tessa preferred talking over the window instead of what everyone used nowadays. Sure, a lot of paper was used, but normally Tessa would use both sides before putting them in the recycle bin. If not, she reused it for something else.

_Talking over the window. _Tessa laughed at her own joke and walked over to the window, checking to see if Will was awake.

_6:35 am. _He would be awake by now. Possibly even earlier, because they were going to be in the halls of Idris High in one hour. After three short months of summer.

They had hung out the night before. He had ignored the requests to bring her to the library, and instead had drove her around the city, going past the speed limit, and had only slowed down when they drove past other cars and had stopped only once to get chocolate for himself.

Tessa had crinkled her nose and refused when he had jokingly offered her some. He knew she hated chocolate.

But to sum it up, it was a pretty good last day of summer. At least she had seen Will before everything started.

The second Will's curtains opened, her phone started ringing. She picked up the phone and when she saw the caller ID, she smiled.

"Hello," she answered, smiling. "This is Miss Theresa Gray's phone, how can I help you?"

The person on the other end of the line chuckled. "Well, I was hoping I could reach Miss Gray, if she's not too busy for her boyfriend, who is humbly asking for a bit of her precious time."

Tessa laughed. That was a game she and him liked to play from time to time, just to tease each other. "You're just in luck, Mr. Lightwood. Miss Gray might have a few minutes to spare before she is too busy."

He gasped. "_Just a few minutes_? Oh my, how rude of her. Making her boyfriend suffer like that, when he did nothing more but wanting to hear her angelical voice, a voice he loves so much. That is unacceptable. You tell her that we will be breaking up right now."

Tessa could picture him perfectly, shaking his head, making his tousled brown hair stick up in every single direction. She often found that adorable, and he knew it.

"Oh, Gabriel," she sighed, though she was still smiling. "Fine, you win. But just this time, though. You have to make it up to me."

She knew, without knowing how she knew, that he was smiling wickedly. "That did scare you, didn't it? Of course I'll make it up to you, Miss Gray. Trust me when I say that I know _plenty_ of ways in which I can make it up to you."

Tessa was blushing. "_Gabriel_!" she scolded, causing him to laugh. She should have known he would come up with a comeback like that one. He was, after all, Gabriel. One of the high school's players, alongside Will, both because of their charm, but also because of their looks. Every girl was ready to do anything for them. Every girl but Tessa.

Of course, she was Gabriel's girlfriend. Had been for almost three months, since last year's prom. But Tessa hadn't been the one to declare her undying love. No, things between them had started very unexpectedly.

They were attending prom when Gabriel, being his flirty self, had asked Tessa to dance. One of her friends, Jessamine, had practically pushed her in his arms, and before she had even processed what was happening, they had been dancing on a slow song. For Tessa, it had been a weird experience, because she had been crushing on him for a while, but had never told him, because she had been scared that he would break her heart, much like how he did to other girls.

But it hadn't been like that — instead, something else happened. When the song had almost ended, he had closed the space between them and had kissed her right there, in front of everyone. Not knowing what else she was supposed to do, she had kissed him back, and after they had broken apart, he had asked her out on a date.

Tessa had been in denial for a moment, because Gabriel never asked girls out, but she had said yes, and after spending some time together, he had told her that he loved her and so, they started officially dating.

Of course, things with Will had been difficult after that, because, being the players around high school, there had always been some competition between the two of them, and they had never gotten along.

Will had refused for a while to talk to Tessa because she was dating Gabriel, which had been a big blow for Tessa to take, but after a few days, he had apologized, saying that it was her choice and he, as her best friend, had no right to stay in her way. After talking to Gabriel as well, the two of them, for her sake, started to get along better.

"When can I see you?" Gabriel asked after he stopped laughing. "I missed you so much this summer."

Tessa missed him as well. He had been gone the whole summer to California, to some cousins he had there, and although they had Skyped, Facetimed and had Snapchatted the most trivial things, Tessa missed being close to him.

"Well, wait for me at the school's entrance, and we'll go take our schedules from there, alright?"

"Sounds excellent. I can't wait to see you," he said. "I love you, Tessie."

Tessa's heart fluttered in her chest. "I love you, too." And with that, she hung up.

She reached for her school bag on her bed, checking to see if she had everything with her, when she noticed a flailing of arms from Will's window. When she looked up, she saw Will desperately trying to get her attention.

He pressed a piece of paper onto the glass.

_Who were you talking to?_

Tessa sighed. Some things just never got old. She took a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a reply with a black marker.

_Gabriel._

Will scowled, and it wasn't just one of his normal scowls. There was something else too, something that had always been there in the past few months whenever she mentioned Gabriel. Her friend Sophie had teased her saying that maybe he had a crush on her, but Tessa had quickly dismissed her words. William Herondale didn't have a crush on anyone.

He turned for a few moments from the window before he came back with a reply.

_That Lightworm again?_

Tessa made a face. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would drop the Lightworm nickname, but then again, everybody had the ability to dream.

_That joke is getting old, Will._

Will grinned wickedly.

_Maybe it wasn't a joke. Be ready in 5?_

Tessa just nodded before she picked up her school bag and headed downstairs to grab a quick snack before heading out and towards Will's car. Soon enough, she was seated safely in the back of the car, with his pretty sister, Cecily Herondale, sitting bitch.

Cecy had always insisted on sitting bitch. Two years, no, _three. _She had never changed.

"_Tessa_!" the younger Herondale exclaimed, wrapping her skinny arms around Tessa, giving her a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"You've last seen her two days ago, Cecy," Will pointed out from the driver's seat. When he stepped on the pedal, the car gave another burst of speed so that they were barrelling down the long stretch of road.

Another step closer to the end of summer. _The _end of summer.

Cecily shrugged, tucking a piece of dark hair behind her ear in the process. "That's not the point." Without waiting for her brother's response, she turned sideways so that she was facing Tessa. "So, Tessa, how's Gabriel? How are you guys doing?"

Tessa's eyes flickered to Will before responding. "It's been great. He's been gone the entire summer, though I don't know why I'm telling you this again. I really missed him, and, well, he's back. That's the only thing I'm looking forward to right now."

Will cleared his throat from the driver's seat. His fingers were pale, clenched tightly around the steering wheel.

"_And _to lunch with you," Tessa said with a guilty undertone to her voice.

"Wait," Cecy paused. "Isn't lunch with him _also_ lunch with Gabriel?"

The car started, screeched, and twisted around a corner and zipped down the road and towards their school. In no time, Will was parking in front of Idris High School.

Tessa had to take thirty seconds to calm down, even though she was used to Will's unpredictable driving. Then she decided to joke around. "Maybe I should hitch a ride with Gabriel tomorrow."

Cecily's elbow dug into her ribs.

"I was just joking," she protested as Will opened the door to the car and walked out without waiting for them.

Cecily shrugged again. Scooping her books up with one arm, she dragged Tessa out of the car using the other. Soon enough, they were catching up with Will as he walked past the school yard.

His face gave away nothing. He was wearing his usual expression. Nonchalant, but with a touch of amusement. He had his hands stuck in his pockets.

She knew something was bothering him, even though it was unlikely. After all, he was Will Herondale.

But hey, he was human.

Tessa nudged him with her arm, like they always used to do. "Hey."

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I was just joking."

He didn't respond, even though Tessa was sure he _very much _knew she wasn't taking it seriously.

She nudged him again. "I love your driving. You know that, Will."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do," Tessa said before pausing to look around the yard for any signs of Gabriel. He wasn't at the school entrance yet.

It was the first day of school, but the bell hadn't rung. So Tessa decided to position herself in front of a wall and wait for Gabriel.

"You're gonna wait for Gabriel, right?" Cecily asked.

"Yeah," Tessa said. "I wanna see him."

Her friend gave her a smile. "You guys are cute. Well, I'll see you soon, alright? Three classes together. I hope our lockers are close. Bye, Tessa!"

Tessa watched Cecily's retreating back for a moment before turning to Will, smiling. "Well, I'm praying our lockers are close."

He nodded. "Agreed. And Gabriel's, yes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Gabriel?"

"Isn't he your boyfriend?" he drawled.

Tessa rolled her eyes and placed the sole of one sneaker up against the wall, arms shielded around her books and binders. "Yeah, I hope Gabriel's locker is close to mine. I'll see you soon, 'kay?"

He shook his head before throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Nope, you're stuck with me. Just for now. I'll wait for Lightworm _with _you."

She wrinkled her nose and laughed. "Oh, you're the one in love with him now?"

He laughed, although it sounded half-hearted. "No. Lightworm is gross."

She gave him a playful shove. "No, he isn't."

"He does look like a worm. Wait, look, the worm has darkened. He has a tan."

Tessa's head snapped in the direction where Will was currently looking at. There he was, Gabriel Lightwood, in all his California-tanned, button-down glory. Tessa's expression brightened up and she had to resist the urge to run halfway across the schoolyard, already covered in litter and cigarette butts, and catapult herself into his arms.

"Looks like he'll be talking to us, eh?" Will said, his voice taking on a slightly hostile tone.

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><p><strong>AN: this is a definite wessa. i'm sure jem'll appear next chapter.**

**but for now, please review, favorite and follow! tell us what you all think. it'll mean so much to us and the reviews are basically what makes both of us keep going.**

**(p.s. if you've stuck with both of us for a while, then can you tell who wrote which parts? ;P)**

**xx**

**-nicole & clara**


	2. two

**_A/N: Hey guys! Me and Nicole are back with this new chapter, which we both hope you'll enjoy.  
>Thank you all so so much for your reviews! They mean the world to us, and they keep us going, and we were very surprised to get such a positive response. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story as much as you enjoyed the first chapter, because we're really excited for what's to come.<br>For now, enjoy!_**

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><p><strong>alright we were planning to post this update earlier than expected. we were busy with school (well, <em>i <em>was, so ehhh i apologize for that. so much homework.)**

**wow, you guys! 14 reviews, 17 favorites and 19 follows for one chapter? you guys are amazing. thank you so, so much. anyway, these are the review responses.**

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><p><strong>ThaliaAsh: thanks. here you go x<strong>

**Constance Rushfall: hi serry **

**wildwolfwind: heheheh here's your update. please enjoy. and about gabriel and tessa... we'll see won't we? thanks xx**

**1FanGirlGeek: thanks so much for reviewing! enjoy xx**

**MagicMissy: woot woot will is simon lmfaooo i find that funny idk why. and yaaaas wessa**

**herondaleinstruments: yep. i'm a huge swiftie, but about clara... she's kind of one? haha. i love taylor swift to death she's my 1st queen. anyway, please enjoy xx**

**rebecca de silva: heyy! thanks for reviewing. here's your 2nd chapter :)**

**TessaElsaHerondale: hiii jill! i'm a huge swiftie too, like i've said above, and taylor swift's songs pretty much bring me joy. yep. FEARLESS OMG AND FIFTEEN AND YOU BELONG WITH ME AND LOVE STORY AND THE STORY OF US AND SHAKE IT OFF OMG i've listened to all her songs lmao.**

**omg you shipped tessiel? that's something awesome about you. so open minded. anyway, yep. it's fantastic to get an opportunity to write with clara since i look up to her so much and stuff... yep. anyway, thanks for the review.**

**"will's taylor" omg :'D**

**ILuvMagnus101: hi, lala! thanks for the review xx**

**ASilverShadowhunter: omg lol it might not stay tessiel for long... since this was meant to be something wessa. you'll see below. don't worry about creepily smiling, i do that all the time. **

**thanks for reviewing xx**

**Bookthief1317: thanks. and tessa's gabriel's girlfriend... yep. not for long, i guess. you'll see. xx**

**Jillessa Heronstairs: oMG GLAD TO KNOW YOU'VE BECOME A JILLESSA PERSON. yep we're hardcore wessa people. oh and will is probably not gonna have a curse but he's gonna have problems and stuff, i think. i'm not quite sure yet, although we're trying to plot everything out. thank you so so much. :)x**

**Angelina Roongta: i wouldn't do that because at this rate it would be mean to jessa shippers if i made jem tessa's bf lol x**

**anyway let's continue**

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><p>Tessa ran towards her boyfriend, almost tripping on her feet as she did so, and jumped into his arms, wrapping hers around his torso. She pressed her face against the warm, soft material of his shirt.<p>

"Gabriel!"

She could feel his fingers running through her hair, smoothing out the creases and fiddling with the knots. She knew people all around were watching, but she didn't care.

"Tessie. I missed you."

When she reached up to kiss him, she could feel somebody stare at her. And she was absolutely one hundred percent sure it was Will's piercing blue gaze which had done the job. Unexpectedly, a sudden burst of unexplainable guilt coursed through her body, stilling her lips so that they weren't moving against her boyfriend's anymore.

Gabriel drew back and smiled at her, though slightly confused, linking his fingers between hers. "My cousins were driving me nuts." He paused to roll his eyes. "So was my dad. It's amazing to be back with you."

Tessa raised her eyebrows at him, reaching up to smooth down her hair. "Your dad?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, my dad was kinda… insane. He's going nuts."

Will's annoyingly familiar drawl cut through their thoughts, interrupting their conversation. "Well, I didn't need to explain, did I? It's in his genes, Tessa. The _worms."_

"_What?"_

Gabriel turned away from Tessa, his expression hardening. Tessa sighed. Oh, and she thought that they would get along.

"Hey, Herondale. Back and as… undeveloped as you could ever be, are you?"

Before Will had a chance to clear his throat, Tessa cut in and stopped him from saying anything more, as she knew that if this carried on then there would be a full-on fight between the two of them. "Will, don't."

"Why don't you seek refuge with your regular group of female— _and, _well, male admirers, Heronwhale?" Started Gabriel. "Or are they all gone?"

Will made a sound that sounded like a mix between a laugh and a choke. _"Heronwhale?"_

Tessa eyed the scene warily, debating whether or not to drag Gabriel away by the sleeve.

Gabriel tipped his chin up and looked down at Will, an unimpressed expression across his face. "Well, maybe your head is gigantic and your ego is the size of a whale? You take up so much space." His eyes narrowed. "Herondale, you think you're god's gift to the planet and you think you can get any girl you want, but guess what?"

"Guys," Tessa said, pulling on Gabriel's arm hurriedly. Gabriel's expression was now one of mockery, a lopsided smile playing across his lips. Again he repeated what he had said. "Guess what?"

Gabriel's eyes flickered from Tessa to Will. Will's brow was furrowed angrily, his blue eyes blazing, mouth set in a hard line.

Tessa sighed, and looked away for one second, and only then did she notice the small crowd which had gathered round the commotion that was happening before her. When she looked back at the two, Will was swinging a fist towards her boyfriend.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion.

She didn't think. She threw herself right in front of them, right before Will's fist was going to hit Gabriel's stomach. Well, it hit _her _instead.

Her body registered the pain, but she willed herself to push it back and away so that it almost didn't hurt at all.

"_Tessa—"_

She glared at Will, stunned for once. She didn't have to look at Gabriel to confirm that he had a deadly expression on his face right now.

"What the hell is your problem?" She spat at her best friend, her body slowly curving in. She felt Gabriel's arm snake around her waist, and in response Will's face darkened by a shade.

She felt a sudden surge of anger.

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" _

While his face looked dangerous, his eyes were undecipherable. "Are you honestly that blind? Can't you really see what my problem is?"

"_What?"_

Then he was gone. He was pushing away from the onlookers, away from the annoying, gossipy freshmen, away from herself and Gabriel. He was gone in a matter of seconds, swallowed up by the stream of neverending students.

She couldn't speak. Saliva had clotted up in her throat, forcing her to swallow.

_What just happened?_

-o-

Tessa sat at the desk, trying not to dwell on the fact that she hadn't seen Will since morning. It was fourth period English, the second class they were supposed to be in together. He hadn't showed.

She had guesses to where he had went. There was a fifty percent chance that he was either out or at home, and the other fifty was that he was wandering aimlessly around the campus with nowhere to go.

She sighed and shifted to another less comfortable position. She couldn't figured out what he had meant.

To make things worse, pairs of eyes were now consistently trained at the back of her head whilst telling the other about what had happened today morning, hands cupped around their lips so that nobody could hear. As if that was effective, anyway.

Gossip spread like wildfire. Apparently the two hottest players had hit it off with a fight at the start of the new year.

Well, not _technically _a fight, but still.

Now one of them was missing.

Her head was supported on the desk by the length of her arm when a wad of paper hit the side of her head. She sat up. The teacher's back was turned, and she was writing on the board.

She unfolded the note.

_Justin Bieber looks like a twelve _

_year old with a six pack._

She rolled her eyes. Magnus and his shenanigans.

Promptly she wrote a response and threw it back at him without the teacher's notice.

_What was that for? _

_Don't you think he's hot?_

She thought she heard Magnus snort. Quick enough was the same note, thrown at her head in the same direction.

_I'm not a pedo, Tessa darling._

_That was meant to make you laugh… kinda._

_You seem down today. What's wrong?_

The teacher whirled around and started handing the class books. Instead of letting it slide and fly off her desk once Mrs. Branwell started throwing _Jane Eyre _around, she caught her copy and cradled it. Quickly she wrote her response behind her book.

_Nothing._

_I'm just tired._

This time, the note fell on the ground beside her but quickly she picked it up before anyone else could.

_Nuh uh._

She sighed and flipped the page to her book.

_Talk to me after class._

-o-

She stood at the doorway after class, watching Magnus approach with his glitter-coated eyelashes, Lady Gaga t-shirt and rainbow hair. They started walking then, chattering about summer and their lessons until Magnus began on the topic.

"What's wrong, princess?"

She sighed. Her friends could always tell when things were wrong. Sometimes she loved it, sometimes she didn't.

"Nothing, alright? It's not that big of a problem."

Magnus shook his head, his glitzy rainbow locks flying everywhere. "A little bird told me your boyfriend and your backup boyfriend had a fight this morning. A great way to start off the year, huh?"

She sighed. So the news had already gotten to one of her friends. She wondered who would know by the time she would meet up with everybody else at lunch. She wondered what they would make out of this situation she'd gotten herself into. And most of all, she wondered if she would see Will at lunch. The boy did have to eat, after all.

"They started bickering, like they always do," Tessa began, and Magnus listened to her without interrupting. "You know how Will always calls Gabriel Lightworm. Well, Gabriel called Will Heronwhale and he just got mad and tried to punch Gabriel in the stomach."

Magnus nodded, looking amused. "And you stepped between them, didn't you? And Will hit you in the process."

"What else was was I supposed to do?" she exclaimed. "I hate seeing them fight like that, and I feel like I always get caught up in the middle and I certainly don't want to have to choose between them, because I care about both of them…" She took a deep breath. "I'm rambling, am I?"

He threw a long arm over her shoulders. "Do you know why Will got so upset he skipped his favorite class?"

"I don't know. I asked him what was his problem, and he looked at me and asked if I'm that blind and I can't see what his problem is. Whatever that is supposed to mean."

Magnus was silent for a few minutes as their made their way to their next class. Then, he smiled, "Well, let's just hope that he will show up in the next classes, or at lunch."

Tessa hoped as well.

-o-

He didn't show up. Tessa had almost all of her classes with him, yet he didn't show up at any of them. Was he that mad? But why would he be mad in the first place? What had she said that could have bothered him so much?

Tessa didn't have the slightest idea, but as the classes went by and he didn't show up at any of them, she started to get worried. At first, she was worried that he got in trouble. It wasn't unusual for Will, and Tessa was usually the one who got him out of trouble. Tessa or his other best friend, Jem Carstairs.

After that, she started feeling an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach. The she realized what it was. Guilt. Fear. She didn't want to lose him. They've been best friends for the longest time, and he was one of the few people she trusted the most in the world. Whenever she was sad or angry, he was always there for her, the steady ground beneath her feet, the shoulder she could cry on. When she didn't have anyone else, she had Will, and Will had her. It's been like this since he had moved next to her.

And now, she feared that she was losing him.

When she got in the cafeteria for lunch, he wasn't there. Magnus only gave her shoulder a light reassuring squeeze, before the two of them got their food and joined their friends, who already occupied a table in the large cafeteria.

Jessamine, Sophie, Cecily, Gideon, Gabriel's brother, and Gabriel himself were chatting animatedly when Magnus and Tessa sat down at the table. She took the empty seat next to Gabriel, and while she did so, she gazed at the table in a corner when she and Will would have lunch together when they wanted to be alone. As expected, he wasn't there.

She also noticed that Jem wasn't there either.

"Where's Jem?" she asked while taking a bite from her sandwich.

Cecily was the one who answered. "He's fetching Will, though nobody knows where Will is."

It was obvious that she was upset, but Tessa didn't press further. Jessamine leaned forward conspiratorially. "Everybody heard of the fight this morning. What did happen in the first place? Who started it?"

"I don't know," Tessa asked, getting angrier as she spoke. "Ask Gabriel."

Gabriel tensed by her side. "Come on," he said exasperated. "It wasn't my fault."

"Well, it kinda was," Magnus pointed out, smirking.

"He called me Lightworm, and I've had enough of that."

"He always called you Lightworm," Tessa snapped, and she swore she could see a smile tugging at the corners of Cecily's mouth. "That gave you no reason whatsoever to call him like that and to tell him all those things," she half-shouted, causing some people to look at her.

Gabriel snorted. "Are you actually defending him?"

"Yes," Tessa replied without missing a beat. "He's my best friend."

"I'm your boyfriend," Gabriel said, resting his elbows on the table. "You sound like you love him more than you love me. Besides, he hit you."

Tessa dropped her eyes. "No, I don't, okay? It's just…"

"What?"

Tessa dropped the subject. "I stepped in his way, Gabriel. Will would never hit me."

"Are you that sure?" Gabriel asked. "I'm going to the bathroom. Don't wait up." And with that, he pushed his chair back and out the cafeteria without another word.

"Wow," Jessamine said after a while. "That was intense,"

"Shut up, Jessie," Sophie nudged her, speaking for the first time. The she turned to Tessa. "So, what was the last thing Will said to you?"

She shrugged. "I asked him what was his problem, and he looked at me and asked if I'm that blind and can't see what his problem is, and what really bother me is that I don't know what he meant by that."

Jessamine only laughed, and Tessa shot her daggers. "What?" Jessie said. "The poor boy's right, you are blind." When Tessa looked at her, confused, she went on. "You really can't see what his problem is, what his problem had been all this time, don't you?"

Tessa shook her head, getting annoyed by the second. "No. No, I don't. That's why I'm asking you guys. I want to know what's bothering him so badly."

Gideon placed his fork down onto his plate. "It's actually quite obvious."

"Well, what, then?" Tessa asked, her expression one of dismay. "Why aren't you—"

Gabriel entered the scene before Tessa could finish her sentence. He pulled the chair out and sat without sparing Tessa a glance. At least his anger was diminishing.

"Welcome back, Gabriel," Cecily said.

"Where's Heronbitch?" Gabriel asked in a way of response, neck craned up to survey the cafeteria for him.

"Don't call him that," Tessa said sharply. "Please."

Gabriel turned and shot her a look. "Well, what about _Lightworm, _Tessa?"

She sighed. "About that. I'll tell him to stop."

Magnus dipped a fry into a pool of ketchup before popping it into his mouth. "Herondale's still not here."

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><p><strong>thoughts? suggestions? predictions? put those in the review box below.<strong>

**do please give us a review, a favorite, a follow. reviews mean the world to us and they are what keeps our motivation & inspiration going.**

**xx**

**-nicole & clara**


	3. three

**A/N:**

**we literally update 6 days later. lol. you should start expecting updates 6 days after the last update.**

**well anyway. hey guys! it's nicole here. clara's at school and i'm sick today [so no school], so... she's not here. anyway, i would like to thank everyone for the very kind reviews and the way you all express your love for taylor swift... eeeyup.**

**anyway, onwards with the review responses! we have received very positive ones and we were pleasantly surprised by that. thank you so much, as they are the main encouragements that help us make bigger and better efforts. **

**ehhh. i'm sick so idk if that made any sense. if not, then my apologies.**

**Lifeofme: thank you so much! here's your update :)**

**Guest: awww thank you so so much! we try hard to do our best so we are ecstatic to hear that from one of our readers. xx**

**The Pale Red Queen: oMG TPRQ YOU REVIEWED thank you so so much for the kind words.**

**baby will and tessa omfg. :'D and yeeep about the tessiel that's something we have to write about bc we don't want to make jem be tessa's bf since it would be unfair to them jessa shippers bc at this rate you might be able to see where these chapters is going... you'll be able to find out more below in this chapter lol**

**jealous will lol. oblivious tessa. i guess tessa thinks she knows everything about her bff so she's convinced that will feels nothing for her except for friendship... eh. and yes magnus. magnus is cool. 69% of the time he is my spirit animal. :3**

**anyway, tysm for reviewing!**

**theYAfangirl17: yeah. lol. heronbitch. we needa make a collection of all herondale nicknames and jokes.**

**theYAfangirl17: this won't be a tessa x gabriel fic, k? he's just kinda like a... well. starting point. and yep you'll see the wessa soon. thanks for reviewing! xx**

**dogestiel: this isn't a tessiel fic. god. gabriel's not to be trusted. **

**anyway, yeah. thanks so much. i'm so glad to hear that we have you hooked. and lol the herondale insults... i've included a few of your herondale insults here. thanks. you're cool. xD**

**Evil Ducks: best. username. ever.**

**even though i think ducks are cute. eh. anyway, thank you for reviewing! the wessa'll be here soon. xx**

**vialovesbooks: hmmmm you're smart. your predications may or may not be right. :3 we saw your review and were surprised. thank you for all the kind words. here's your update! xx**

**Midnightstone1118: yay! here's your update :)xx**

**Beary: thank you so much! :)**

**liveloveread485: thanks, and here's your update!**

**TessaElsaHerondale: i'm listening to shake it off as i type these review responses.**

**BUT I KEEP CRUISING. CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP MOVING. IT'S LIKE I GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND SAYING IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT.**

**your review was sosoososo sweet omfg, like i can't even. you think this fic is a dream? wow just... i'm speechless. that was so sweet. far from that, omg. thanks so much for your words, they really seriously brightened my day. a lot. just... JLKAJLKSDJLAKJDL!**

**i shouldn't listen to shake it off while i type my review responses. anyway i paused it lol. #willistaylor #willistaylorreincarnated #willismaletaylor #willistaylorwithblackhairandblueeyes**

**clara: NICOLE DON'T TALK TO THEM WITH HASHTAGS!**

**yep i've loved taylor swift since third grade.**

**OMG IS YOUR DAD OKAY? sORRY JILL'S DAD! YOUR DAUGHTER HIT YOU!**

**don't delete your fanfics omg. your fanfics are greater & better written than ours. thEY ARE SO FUNNY! just... i'm really honoured and touched to know that you love this fanfic so much, wow. you're sosososo sweet. you're the best. xx**

**TriniPrincess: well, i guess tessa is convinced that will feels nothing for her except friendship love since she knows him so well and stuff. thanks for reviewing xx**

**MagicMissy: aww sure! you'll see more. thanks for reviewing.**

**Jillessa Heronstairs: hi! you were reading this in math class? do meth— no, lol. math. do math. **

**bite gabriel! BITE GABRIEL! BITE GABRIEL AND LAUGH!11!**

**anyway, thanks for all your kind words and i'm glad you like this fanfic. it means a lot to us. just... thank you so much! xx**

**yeah. thanks, guys. :P**

* * *

><p>Will was angry and frustrated at the world, and it was all because of her.<p>

He was walking down the empty corridors of the high school, having decided to skip all of his classes, heading to the only place where he could find some quiet and peace from the drama all around him.

It was true that he'd caused almost all that drama, but sometimes, he couldn't take it anymore. There were times when he slipped, when his feelings would be more prominent than ever, when he couldn't keep it all in any longer.

Today had been one of those times.

Will didn't like Gabriel. Will didn't actually like the Lightworms all that much, as to him their family was a mess. Their dad was a crackhead. Their mom was a pothead. They had Tatiana Lightwood, the girl who had stalked him for a year straight. When he had finally gotten her to stop by humiliating her in front of the whole school, Gabriel Lightworm had raged and had tried to wrestle him to the ground.

They were thirteen, but Will had never forgotten. Gabriel probably had. Tessa, too.

Everything had changed when Tessa had told him that Gabriel had asked her out. It had been like a blow to his heart, time stopping around him as his words had settled in. Tessa and Gabriel. Gabriel and Tessa. He'd been shocked, to say the least, but his shock had been replaced by pain when he'd seen her face glowing. She liked Gabriel, and he'd asked her out.

She was dating the boy who had shoved him to the ground four years ago.

At the time, there was one thought that was going through his head.

_I've lost my chance completely._

For her sake, though, he'd pretended to be excited for her. To be happy for them, though happiness was the furthest of things from what he was truly feeling. But he couldn't bring himself to ruin her happiness, not when he saw just happy she was with Gabriel. He couldn't do that to her. He was her best friend.

_Friend._

The word Will hated the most.

A sudden surge of anger ran through his veins, so he punched with all the strength he had the nearest locker, scaring two giggling freshmen who probably had thought Will was hot. A dent was formed in the locker's door. His knuckles were scratched and were starting to bleed, but he didn't care. He needed that distraction to get her out of his head.

He'd been in love with her since they had first met. He hadn't known it at the time, and he'd realized too late to do anything about it. He'd chickened out at first, afraid that if he would let her know of his feelings, she would reject him and thus ending their friendship, and when he'd finally gathered some courage, Gabriel had stepped in the way.

He had blamed her for everything.

And he couldn't quite decide if he was supposed to be angry at her because of how oblivious she was or if he was supposed to move past this for the sake of their five-year-long friendship.

Will made his way to the library, the only place which was usually empty, the only place where he could retreat in a corner and have a break from everything else. The librarian smiled at him slightly before she resumed back her work, and he made his way through the aisles, watching with unseeing eyes at the titles of the old books in front of him. Of course, frequenting the library with Tessa, he had every bookshelf memorized.

His phone buzzed in his pocket so he ducked behind a bookshelf to answer it. "Yes, Jem?" he said after checking the caller ID. James Carstairs, or Jem, as everybody called him, was Will's other best friend. He'd transferred from a school in Shanghai in his freshman year, and they've been very good friends ever since. Almost like brothers. Tessa used to joke about that, saying that if it weren't for the obvious physical differences, she would've thought they were brothers.

"Where are you?" he asked.

Will shrugged, going for a nonchalant attitude. "In the library. You know, skipping class and all."

"You never skip English," Jem pointed out after a short moment of silence, which was true. English was one of the classes he had with Tessa. English was also his favorite subject, being an avid reader. Jem knew him too well, and Will knew that he could see beyond his attitude and wall he tried to build up around himself when he wanted to be left alone.

It was Jem who spoke. "Hey, stay where you are," he said. "If we're skipping classes, we'll be skipping them together."

-o-

"So, let me get this straight," Jem said for what Will thought was the sixth time. "You got mad at Tessa because of some feelings you were too afraid to tell her of, and now, you are the one who is upset because she is trying to be happy?"

Will sighed. He'd told Jem of what happened, of his attempt to punch Gabriel, of Tessa jumping in front of the two of them, resulting in Will hurting her instead the Lightworm. Jem had listened carefully, not once showing any emotion or interrupting.

"If you say that one more time, you will be the one next in line for my punch," Will grumbled, though it was halfheartedly.

Jem was silent for a moment before he spoke. "You're an idiot, do you know that?"

Will was incredulous. "What?"

"You're an idiot," he repeated. "You're an idiot because you've been in love of her for the longest time and you've been afraid to tell her—"

"I was scared—"

"And now," Jem interrupted, "you're destroying your friendship with her, hurting her in the process as well, because you were too afraid to tell her how you felt."

Will got up on his feet. "Listen to me," he hissed.

"No, Will, you're being a complete selfish idiot!" Jem half-shouted. "Can't you see it? She cares about you. I don't know in what way, but I know for a fact that she does! She told me of how you've been on and off ever since she started dating Gabriel, and that's not a way to treat your best friend!" He paused, taking a deep breath, and went on. "If you don't want to talk with her anymore, it's your decision. But don't expect her to come back to you."

He could only stare in shock at Jem as his best friend made his way out of the library furiously.

The worst part of it all was that he was right, like he always was.

But Will couldn't bring himself to be just friends. Not anymore.

-o-

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. To Tessa's surprise, Will hadn't shown up for the rest of the day, nor had he come to pick at least his sister up after the classes were over. When she, Cecily and Gabriel had made their way to the school's parking lot, Will's car wasn't there, so Gabriel had gave both of them a ride home.

Now, Tessa was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling above her. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and they all revolved to Will. To what he said, and to what he did. There was an odd feeling in her stomach which she couldn't put her finger on, and there was only one thought going through her mind.

_I might lose him._

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed some movement coming from their neighbours. Will, she thought. Tessa scrambled to her feet, just in time to see Will in his room. His head snapped up, and their gazes locked for a moment. She couldn't quite decipher the emotions in his eyes, but his gaze was so intense, Tessa had to fight back the urge to shrink under the intensity. Still, it wasn't a friendly gaze. It was something else. Something different.

She reached for the first piece of paper she could find, and quickly she scribbled some words to show to him. When she lifted her head, she found his curtains drawn closed. So. He still didn't want to talk to her. The only thing she could do was to lift up the sign, as if he were on the other side to see it, before she broke down into tears.

_I miss you_, the sign read.

-o-

She didn't see Will until third period math the very next day. He was sitting at the back left corner of the classroom, doing whatever with his pen and some eraser shavings.

At least he was finally at class.

He didn't acknowledge her. He acted as if she didn't exist at all, his eyes landing on everywhere but her. She had received a text from Cecily this morning, telling her that there was not going to be a car there to pick her up to school.

Like he had yesterday. Completely acted as if she didn't exist.

A brief apology followed, but It was missing the explanation.

Like she had predicted the day before, she had to hitch a ride with Gabriel. Tessa wasn't even sure if she was supposed to be in a fighting state with her boyfriend or not, but he sure had acted distant.

Right now, Will looked… bored. Annoyed, tinged with amusement. He looked as if nothing had happened yesterday, and with that he couldn't care less. He looked as if the world was something he could shape and transform at his will.

Tessa knew that was both true and false at the same time.

Will was Will. He was her best friend, one of the people she knew the best. She didn't know what to make of the pang of annoyance and five second urge to run over to him and strangle him.

She watched him as his eyes darted around the room. She kept watching him, willing him to turn around and look at her, but he didn't.

One could hope.

"Will," She hissed out of the corner of her mouth, hoping he would hear her. "Will."

She had Starkweather, or Satan for math, so Tessa couldn't actually attempt to speak without whispering. Satan would hear her and positively call her in for a detention.

Tessa ignored that particular piece of information, anyway. She dared herself to speak louder.

"_Will."_

"_Ms. Gray," _Satan snapped all of a sudden, slamming his textbook down onto his desk, a scowl distorting his features. "Ms. Gray, are you _speaking_ during my _class?"_

Her eyes widened as she turned away from Will, her face turning an alarming shade of tomato as the entire class twisted around to look at her. She was sure Will was, too. "No, I—"

"I do not tolerate liars in my class!" Satan bellowed before she could complete her sentence. "Detention, Ms. Gray!"

Tessa folded her arms and buried her face in them once the little pink slip was dropped onto the corner of her desk. She was tempted to blow the paper away so that it would hit Will and give him a paper cut.

-o-

"I told you, Tessa," Gabriel retorted during free fifth period, flipping the page to his book and peering over her shoulder to see what number she was on. "I told you. Herondouche's a dickbag not worth your time.

"Shut up, Gay-briel," Sophie said sharply. Tessa turned to her, surprised.

"What's next, bro?" Gideon asked, clearly bored of all the Herondale nicknames. At least Will wasn't here to hear him. "Heronfail?"

"Herondunce," Jessamine suggested.

"Will Herondale is your _friend," _Sophie said.

"I've known him for the longest time," Tessa protested, sandwiching her phone between the pages of her book as a temporary bookmark. "I've known him ever since I was this little girl with braces and a pretentiously high ponytail. You guys know that."

She heard Sophie snort.

Gabriel looked up to face all their friends as he turned to another page, resting his elbows on the table. "Satan detention'ed her today. She's not all tightened up and shit."

"I don't ever get detentions," Tessa said meekly. "I got a detention because I was trying to get Will's attention."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "You got a _detention _and you look like you don't even care."

Tessa shrugged. "I think I have more important things to worry about right now."

"What happened to your BFF yesterday?" Jessamine asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Did he just drop off the face of Earth and miraculously reappear today?"

"Rule number one," Sophie interrupted. "Never use abbreviations out loud."

Tessa rubbed her eyes, her mind flashing back to when they were puffy. "He was there. He was there, in his bedroom, and he pretended I didn't exist. He's been like this for a few months now."

"Been like what?" Sophie asked.

She shrugged. "Hot and cold. One second he's all warm and fuzzy and sweet, the next he's not. He's been sweet like that for the entire two months of summer and when we're back at school… boom. I don't know, it's just… something big seems to be bothering him."

"Get on top of your shizzle, Tessa," Sophie said. "Have you ever tried looking for the reason to that?"

"No," Tessa said, the word's sharp single syllable ringing in her ear, the two letters making up a word she used which she would later regret. "Yes. No. I don't know. Like, I was all ready to investigate it and find out but then he didn't show any signs of that behaviour during the summer. I dropped it, but now it's back. I should seek help."

"You sound like a mom," Jessie interjected.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Well, you'll have to start."

"I need to, but I know he won't tell me anything," Tessa muttered, slightly hurt.

Sophie's hazel eyes were intense. "We don't want to lie to you, Tessa, but… we— It won't hurt to try."

"I think the football tryouts are today, Tessa," Gideon stated. "Not that Will's trying out for his spot or whatever, though. He's gonna be there at the judging panel, surrounded by his fellow royalty. You know that. But you should catch him after that. You can talk to him then."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I know Will Herondale."

"Heronfail."

"Alright. Heronfail." Tessa paused. "Wait, _what_—"

Gabriel was laughing. "Will Heronfail for the win."

"Shut up, Gabriel," Sophie interrupted.

After a roll of her eyes, Tessa continued her sentence. "Gee. He'll blow me off and head in the different direction. There's a fifty-fifty chance he's gonna show up, anyway."

"Football?" Jessamine scoffed. "He'll be there. Wanna bet?"

"No."

"Well, you've already tried talking to him using your signs and well… that didn't work out," Gideon continued. "You've already tried talking to him in class… that didn't work out. You'll have to catch him when he expects it the least."

"He knows I have detention," Tessa said, ready to give up on the crazy suggestions. "He'll know I'll be going home the same time he is."

He shrugged. "Just catch him off guard."

The bell rang. Tessa stood up from the plastic chair and started towards the door, not waiting for her friends. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw Gabriel flip his brother the bird behind her shoulder just as she joined her fellow students down the hallway.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Playlist for this story!**

**1. girl next door- massad**

**2. you belong with me- taylor swift**

**3. heartbreak girl- 5 seconds of summer**

**4. now i see- tessa rose jackson**

**5. what i've been looking for- hsm**

**anyway, thanks for reading! we would love to see your favorites, follows and reviews again. please tell us what you think of this below in that empty review box!**

**kthxbye**

**xx**

**-nicole & clara**


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